Ometepe is the largest island in Lake Nicaragua. It has a figure of eight shape, created by two volcanoes rising up out of the water linked by a long stretch of grey sand, Playa Santo Domingo, on the Isthmus of Istián.
The dominant mountain is Concepción Volcano, one of the most symmetrical cones in the world. It is an active volcano that last threw out ash in 1999; its most recent major lava flow was in 1957.
The other peak, Maderas Volcano, is believed to be extinct. It is covered in dense tropical forest and holds a cold, misty crater lake.
A waterfall emerges on the western face of the cone. There has been a settlement here since 1500BC and probably for much longer.
The island was scattered with large carved basalt idols and there are numerous pre-Colombian petroglyph sites.